Load leveler bending

After 4,000 miles my load leveler class III hitch appears to be bending up!   I tow a 1999 3124 KS behind a Grand Caravan. The set up tows nicely with aveage of 15 mpg. I keep the load light but I have not weighed the trailer.

The hitch is rated for 5,000 pounds. Have I set the chains too tight? The top of the hitch is now pressed against the bumper.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Gregg

[Bill]

Wow, that can't be good!

First, I would take the vehicle back to the place that installed the hitch for you, and complain loudly. If it is a factory-installed hitch, get to your dealer and complain. Either way, this is a warranty/workmanship issue, and you shouldn't have to pay for it. And if it is twisting the frame member at the mounting point, you want to know about it really quick.

If the hitch is rated for 5000 pounds, then it probably has a 500-pound tongue weight rating. You don't have a lot of margin, but you should be OK. I'm not sure that it is possible to tighten the chains tight enough to bend the hitch, but it is easy to determine if you are over-tightening.
  First, put the tow vehicle and trailer on level ground. With the trailer unhitched, measure the height of the tow vehicle's front and rear bumpers above the ground. Now, hitch up the trailer, including the spring bars, just as you would hook it up for travel. Measure the bumper heights again. You SHOULD see that both bumpers have dropped an equal amount, or the front has dropped slightly less than the rear. If the front has dropped MORE than the rear, then your springbars are too tight - back off a link or two on the chain until you see the equal drop.

But I bet it is a mounting problem, and you need to correct it. Let us know what you find.

Bill

YIKES!! :P
Think of the forces being put on that hitch to bend a cast piece like that. What kind of hitch are you using?

Did you bend the reciever under the bumper? Or just the shank? But still, to bend the shank, MAN OH MAN...


By chance, has anyone rear ended you to bend that like that? (Obviously not with the trailer on...)

Gregg

Thanks for the encouragement! So it is a problem....

I will take the car to a hitch company next week. The shank is straight so the bend must be against the frame. The top of the hitch is cutting into the plastic bumper cover so the condition is progresive. The hitch was installed several years ago and was approved by a TM dealer recently. I will not be able to test the chain tention until I return to Easton where I left the TM after I saw the problem (and needed to immediately return to Florida for work).  Our vacation plans next month return us to pick up the TM on our way to Nova Scotia.

It is a great opportunity to talk with you folks about mutual interests. Thanks.

Gregg

Gregg:
You just said something interesting in your post.

The shank is straight so the bend must be against the frame. The top of the hitch is cutting into the plastic bumper cover so the condition is progresive.

With most WDH's, the reciever under the bumper is attached to a tubular frame which is either bolted or welded to the vehicle's frame...

You may want to check that out, as a true WDH reciever SHOULD NOT have bent and be crimping your bumper...

Gregg in Portland

Thanks.

I'm off to a hitch specialist in the morning. I will pass your comments on to them. Details when I get back.

Gregg

I'm back and have information to share.

Trailer hitches for Caravans come in fundamentally two types, one a custom fit and one a muti-fit system (one size fits many). The latter has an adjustable sliding bar held together by two bolts. The hitch is held to the frame with between 4 and 6 bolts on a short arm running along the tubular frame of a Caravan.

My multi-fit hitch was attached by the 4 bolts that hold the bumper on the car. The two most forward bolts were never drilled and inserted.  The hitch has an ACAR lable that says class III 5000 pounds load, 7500 with distribution system. It shows stress on the adjustable bar where the bolts penetrate, and the frame attachments are also bent slightly.

After stopping the first shop from replacing this hitch with one rated for 3500 distribution I found myself at a U-Haul store with a class III tubular custom one piece rig that is rated for 5000 with distribution system. The forward reaching arms (along the frame) are twice as long as the older hitch and held on with 4 bolts on each side. I have a Grand Caravan and the U-Haul hitch number is 78214.

So... what could cause such bending? One shop said the electric brakes are not engaging, causing the rig to ride up on the hitch. While the electric brake controler is new, the TM brakes are 4 years old (1999). So I will check that out next. Add that to the poorly designed/installed hitch and presto, the hitch bends up!

Hope this helps anyone with multi-fit hitches. Be sure they are completely attached and not bending. The fix cost me $170 and an afternoon.

Gregg  

I'm sorry for your hitch problems, sounds like you just about have it licked.

The little bit about the brakes worries me a  little. Do you not test your breaks each time you hookup to tow?

You break controller has a little lever of sometype that allows you to set the trailer breaks. After you first pull out but before you get on a busy road you should get up to about 5 mph and apply the trailer breaks with the controller. You should be able to feel them kick in but not lock down. They should slow or stop your tow van without you ever touching the break pedel. Not doing this little test each time you first start out, not just from home but from campgrounds also, could cause you major problems down the road. Should sway ever start you could not stop it (not that that is problem with a TM but it has happened), if you're in hilly country it can eat up your vans breaks and cause early failure or worse yet totally burn them out on a long hill.

Couldn't tell if you knew this or not from your post but thought a little reminder couldn't hurt.

[Bill]

... One shop said the electric brakes are not engaging, causing the rig to ride up on the hitch ...

Excuse me??? Riding up???  With a 300-400 pound tongue weight, I would expect non-functioning brakes to drive the hitch right into the pavement.  I'm certainly no expert, but I might avoid this particular shop next time around.

If I read your post correctly, your hitch was installed with four bolts, all (more or less) in a line.  Yes, this provides a lot of strength in the forward (pulling) direction, as the load is shared among the four bolt points.  But the whole assembly can rotate  - there is very little strength in the "roll" direction.  The purpose of the other two bolts - the ones not installed - is to prevent the whole assembly from rolling.  And you are seeing the results.  UNACCEPTABLE!

In my opinion, the shop that originally installed the hitch - and neglected the "anti-roll" bolts - should accept responsibility.  Repair should include AT LEAST straightening the frame members to original specs, and then installing the missing bolts.  In no way should this involve a $170 charge to you.

Bill

All good points.

I do test the breaks each time out, but I was taught (aparrently wrong) that the hand squeese switch tested the function of the brakes. I can feel the brakes engage when I squeese the switch. I do not feel the brakes engage nor do I see anything but a green light on the controler when I press the foot pedal.

I am told the left rotating switch is to set the angle of the inertial switch, the right to set the sensitivity. My next step when I get back to Maryland and my TM is to do a complete brake test, including inspection of the shoes.

Ironically, I have towed the TM with my Caravan for over 4000 miles from TX to Orlando to the Finger Lakes through really bad and really wet roads. In all that travel, the rig performed (not considering the bent hitch) flawlessly. Finding the hitch installer is problematic as I purchased the Caravan used. Finding the solution is most appreciated, a bargain at $170.

Gregg